Taron Egerton reflected on turning down the title role in Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Ever since the underperformance of Solo: A Star Wars Story and the mixed critical and fan reception to the Sequel Trilogy, Lucasfilm seems to be taking a long break from the big screen in favor of their television series on Disney Plus including The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and Obi-Wan Kenobi. In the case for the latter two series mentioned, those were reportedly planned to be theatrical films, but have been repurposed for the streaming service. Four years after the release of Ron Howard’s under-appreciated Anthology film, one of the actors that were in contention for the role of Han Solo reflected on auditioning for the part, and that actor was none other than Taron Egerton.
Taron Egerton, most notable for his role as Eggsy in the Kingsman film series and his Golden Globe-winning performance as Sir Elton John in Rocketman is one of the most in-demand actors in the industry right now, especially when it comes to genre franchises like Star Wars. In an appearance on the Happy Sad Confused Podcast, Egerton looked back on the opportunity to test for Solo: A Star Wars Story, and revealed that he ended up rejecting the role:
“I felt that– I mean, I’ll be honest, I got on the Falcon. I was with Chewie. I was in the full costume… and I… you know what, that’s what I felt like. I felt like I got there, I did it, I lived it. And there was one more… there was another round that I decided not to do. And it’s far enough in the past now that I feel I can say that. I hope no one feels annoyed that I have said it. But it just felt to me like I didn’t feel; like you know when we mentioned earlier. That thing when I read the Kingsman script and I was like, ‘This is– I’ve gotta do this. This is my part.’ I just didn’t feel it.”
Taron Egerton and Solo wasn’t meant to be.
Taron Egerton didn’t feel like he was the right actor for the role in Solo: A Star Wars Story. Ultimately, Alden Ehrenreich was cast in the role of the young smuggler. Although Lucasfilm has no plans to continue with that film’s story given its underperformance at the box office, Ehrenreich’s portrayal wasn’t without its fans, with some still calling for the story to continue.
In regards to the future of Star Wars, it sure feels like Lucasfilm is making films less of a priority in favor of the Disney Plus shows. It’s clear that the box office failure of Solo frightened them. At this time, the only film that looks to be in active development is Taika Waititi’s untitled project, which is reportedly eyeing to start production sometime in 2023. Whether or not Taron Egerton ends up joining the galaxy far, far away is a mystery, but given his talent, it wouldn’t be surprising if he is sought after again in the future.
Here is the synopsis for Solo: A Star Wars Story:
Board the Millennium Falcon and journey to a galaxy far, far away in Solo: A Star Wars Story, an all-new adventure with the most beloved scoundrel in the galaxy. Through a series of daring escapades deep within a dark and dangerous criminal underworld, Han Solo meets his mighty future copilot Chewbacca and encounters the notorious gambler Lando Calrissian, in a journey that will set the course of one of the Star Wars saga’s most unlikely heroes.
Directed by Ron Howard from a script written by Lawrence Kasdan and son Jon Kasdan, Solo: A Star Wars Story stars Alden Ehrenreich, Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover, Thandiwe Newton, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Joonas Suotamo, and Paul Bettany.
Solo: A Star Wars Story is available on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-Ray, DVD, and Digital HD. Stay tuned for all the latest news on Taron Egerton’s upcoming roles, and be sure to subscribe to Heroic Hollywood’s YouTube channel for more original video content.
Source: Happy Sad Confused